


What's Bred in the Bone

by kissed_by_fire



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Alien/Human Relationships, F/M, Pregnancy, alien/human babies, politics in Andromeda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-14 23:36:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10546270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kissed_by_fire/pseuds/kissed_by_fire
Summary: Jaal x Sara RyderA 600 year nap and a 2.5 million light-year journey to find out the answer: are humans and angara genetically compatible?Rated M for strong language, some sexuality and violence. Alien-human pregnancy fic.Spoilers for Jaal’s romance and loyalty mission, and end of game.





	1. Part I

“Sara, Doctor T’Perro would like to see you in the medbay as soon as possible,” SAM’s “voice” came over their private channel. She murmured an acknowledgement.

Sara didn’t stop to consider the oddness of it at first. Gil was already pulling her out of her armor when it hit her. Why didn’t Lexi just comm her herself? Why was SAM using their private channel? She kept her face as impassive as possible, but she must have tensed.

“Alright?” Gil asked Sara, dumping the last piece onto the table. He would be cleaning it up and doing any minor tweaks he felt it needed to give her an edge out there; his way of feeling like he contributed to the fight.

“Yeah,” she breathed out, startled from her thoughts. “Just, uh, a little sore from the mission. Those Remnant Breachers hit hard,” she lied. “I’ll go see Lexi and see if she has anything I can take for it.”

More than anything she wanted to walk past the medbay to the showers first, coffee second, but something tugged at her gut. It was too unusual. Something was up, and when she headed into the medbay and the door shut behind her, she knew it.

“Sara,” Lexi greeted, her smile tight. It was her worried look.

“Uh oh. Am I in trouble again, doc?” Sara said, putting a hand on her hip. “I swear, I didn’t do anything this time. Barely a scratch!”

“For once,” Lexi said, and while the tightness didn’t leave from the corners of her eyes, her smile was warmly genuine. “A good thing, too. Sara, why don’t you sit down? SAM has told me that you haven’t been feeling well lately.”

Sara bit her lower lip. “It’s… nothing big,” she said slowly, and wondered by SAM hadn’t mentioned this. “Just… I’m pretty sure it’s about the time the reproductive blockers wear off naturally, and my cycle is coming back. That’s all.”

Lexi picked up a datapad, studying it for a moment. “And you haven’t gone back on them? Unless you’ve decided to have children and didn’t tell me?”

“N-no.” Sara blinked. “Well… considering I’m dating _an alien from another galaxy_ , I didn’t think to go back on them. And… well… we were discussing --”

“Just discussing?” Lexi said, interrupting and looking up at her. To Sara, it seemed that she was trying hard to keep her face as neutral as possible.

Sara was quiet for a moment. “Lexi, what is this about?” she said, voice low, but fear creeping into her.

“Please, lie down on the medical bed for me, Sara. I’m going to take a scan full body scan. Just to check on a few things”

Doing as she was told, protests dying in her throat, Sara took a deep, shuddering breath. The lights of the scan flashed over her once, twice, three times. “Lexi --”

“Goddess, SAM. You were right,” came Lexi’s disbelieving voice.

Fear and frustration finally built up enough in Sara. “What’s going _on_?”

“Sara,” the doctor said, appearing at her side. She took her hand and gently squeezed it. There was a look on her face that the Pathfinder had never seen before. “I need you to remain calm. But SAM and I have both done thorough scans of your body, and… well, Sara, you’re _pregnant_.”

“What?!” she practically screeched out, sitting bolt upright on the bed. “No, no, no, no no no, that’s _impossible_ , I’ve only slept with Jaal -- “

“Sara, please remain calm,” SAM’s voice came, and Sara’s protest stopped short. She felt steamrolled. Pregnant… how? Unless it was somehow weirdly delayed since leaving the Milky Way, and gotten past every single medical scan since she joined the Andromeda Initiative. Or sat on something, or some mad scientist drugged her, did something, and put her back before her crew noticed. Or something weird happened with the Remnant tech they poked around. Or --

Wide-eyed, she looked at Lexi, who sighed.

“Our scans indicated that they are, in fact, human-angaran hybrid. The first of their kind, unless I’m mistaken. You’re six weeks along, although that would be only four weeks gestation.”

“Wait -- they?” Sara asked faintly.

“You are carrying twins,” SAM answered simply.

Lexi smiled at her. “Congratulations, Sara. You carry two scientific miracles in your body.”

She didn’t want Lexi’s congratulations. She looked down at her hands in disbelief, heat flushing her face and body. Tears stung her eyes. Some of her symptoms were starting to make sense: moodiness, increased libido, increased hunger, bloated feeling, a mild cramping feeling a week or two back. And mild bouts of nausea she attributed to a number of things.

Tears fell onto her hands and her body shook. Hybrids, either in animals or in the rare cases between sentient species, known weren’t for their perfect health.

“Lexi,” Sara’s voice broke getting her name out. “Please tell me that they will be okay. Won’t they?”

Lexi put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Right now, Sara, they are so tiny. They are about six centimeters long. I can detect them, and their heartbeats, but I have no way of knowing if they will become viable later in your pregnancy. I don’t want to crush your hopes, but neither do I want to set you up for heartbreak later. In truth… I don’t know what will happen. And if that makes you rather terminate, I can do that for you.”

 _No!_ her brain screamed at her, and reflexively her hand went to her still-flat stomach. But Sara didn’t want to be so hasty.

“If they aren’t viable… then…” she stopped short. “I need to talk to Jaal before I make any decision. I can’t do this without him.”

“Of course, Sara. Please know that whatever you decide, as your doctor, I will provide you with the best care I can.”  She gave Sara’s shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“Thank you, doctor.”

 _Sara, I wish to explain something,_ SAM said over their private channel as she made her way back to her cabin. _I wish to tell you that I was the one who picked up the initial change in your physiology, and alerted Dr. T’Perro._

“Yeah, I got that,” she responded through gritted tear.

_If this was the incorrect way to handle it, I apologize. I had detected the change in your hormones early on, but chose not to take action until I detected a heartbeat. I thought perhaps that if there was no early viability, it pass and it would be unwise to trouble you with that knowledge. When I did detect the heartbeat, it was during your last mission, and I did not think it was prudent to interrupt that. I alerted Dr. T’Perro instead, who agreed that she should be the one to explain as soon as you were available._

Sara sighed, stopping in her tracks. She really couldn’t be annoyed with SAM over this, anyways. “Thank you, SAM. It was nice of you to consider my reaction to this sort of news. You’re right; I wouldn’t have wanted to know in the middle of a fire fight.”

“To know what?” came a voice behind her, and Sara spun around quickly, nearly startled out of her boots.

“ _Fuck_ , you scared me Jaal!”

“One of those things were my intention,” he said pointedly. “But not the other. I am sorry, darling one.”

“It’s okay,” she replied, “but you’re not laying a hand on me until I’ve showered first. And maybe gotten some coffee… and maybe a light dinner.”

He cupped her face in his hand, and she closed her eyes, relishing the touch. It made her push back the fear and anxiety still bubbling within her.

“Go and have your shower,” he said, his voice a purr. “And I will provide the rest in your cabin.”

* * *

 

Sara stretched out lazily, her mind hazy and body still pleasantly buzzy from lovemaking. Jaal was holding her close, his face buried in the crook of her neck.

“I love the very smell of you, dearest,” he murmured against her skin.

“Mmmm,” was all she could answer back. A shower, coffee, food and time in bed with her lover had done wonders for her mood. Her body was happy and relaxed, still tingling, with Jaal pressed against her, snug and warm. Once, he had asked her where her favorite place in the galaxy was. Her answer was changing from the one she had given him.

But the creeping coldness of the recent news was only held back temporarily.

“Jaal, I need to talk to you about something,” she said softly.

“Ah,” he said, propping himself up on his elbow. He ran a hand over her still-naked body fondly, his mind obviously still on something else entirely. “Is this what your were muttering about before?”

“Yes,” she said slowly, and there must have been something in her tone that caught Jaal’s attention. He looked up at her, eyes focused on her face and watching carefully -- they both still had trouble at times reading the others’ expressions -- and his body tensed against hers.

“Jaal… I -- well… I went to talk to Lexi after the last mission.”

“I had wondered where you were,” he said slowly.

“And, well… I know you and I had discussed having children in the future.”

His mouth quirked. “Yes,” he said, a little more of an edge to his voice at the memory of that. He wanted children, very much so, and many more and much sooner than Sara had been ready for. It made a sore spot between them at the time.

“I guess the reproductive blockers ran out a little… earlier than expected… and also… apparently, humans and angara are genetically compatible.”

She cringed, waiting for… something; she didn’t know what. And it took a moment before the full weight of what she said to sink in.

“Dearest,” he said, voice thick with emotion. “Are you telling me that you’re pregnant?”

“Yes,” she breathed out, the tears welling up faster than she expected.

“Oh! You beautiful, brave, _clever_ girl!” he roared with excitement, pulling her into him arms and holding her tightly, though carefully. “My darling Sara, you have made me the happiest man in the entire galaxy -- dear one, why are you crying?” he said suddenly as she began to sob. She couldn’t answer him, not until all of the bottled fear and anxiety was let out. He held her, stroking her hair and kissing the top of her head until she calmed down enough to talk.

“Does this make you so unhappy?” he asked, and she could hear the heartbreak in his voice at that thought.

“No!” she said quickly. “No, it’s not that, Jaal. I’m scared. I’m _terrified_ . What if -- what if they aren’t viable? What if they are, but born very sick? What will everyone say? What are we going to _do_?”

“Oh, Sara,” he said, kissing her tears away. “What will we do? We will love and support each other. What else is there to do?”

“How can it be that simple?” she asked him, looking into his blue eyes.

“How can it not? We have faced so much together just doing that. We will face this the same way.” His hand went to her belly, rubbing it gently. “Whatever happens, we must have hope. Isn’t that required of a pathfinder?”

“Ha-ha,” she said bitterly. “Jaal, even if everything works out fine for the babies, there will be others who won’t like this. What about your people? Your family?”

He smiled at her. “Whatever privately certain individuals might feel about this in my family, as a whole, they will be supportive. It is still their family. My people… well, some were reluctant about you showing up with your ship on fire at Aya, and yet look at what you’ve done so far, hmm? And...” he eyed her. “You said _they_. As in… you carry more than one?”

She smiled weakly through her tears. “It’s twins.”

“There’s a little bit of that smile I love,” he said, kissing her gently. “I can’t promise that I can make everything right, but I can promise you that I will do everything I can for you and our babies."

A small spark of hope lit in her heart at that. Regardless of what would happen, she had him. Maybe that was all she needed to find her strength in it.


	2. Part II

Sara rubbed her temples, feeling the makings of a headache coming on. Which was just perfect timing, really. But they were common in her pregnancy so far. Dr. Lexi didn’t think they were a problem, provided she took her vitamins, ate well, and drank plenty of water. And they didn’t really get worse.

Just something new to discover in a human-angaran pregnancy. She really was a Pathfinder in many aspects of her life, wasn’t she?

But today was not the day she needed a headache. Today was her wedding day.

As Jaal predicted, his family had indeed rallied around them when he informed them. Sahuna, his true mother, was beside herself with excitement. Sara was buried in daily emails from her. But they did insist that Sara and Jaal marry. Legal reasons, Sara was told. She loved her newfound family, and loved the angaran people, but their laws were definitely something that gave her a headache anyways. What it boiled down to was that the children would not be considered apart of their family, with the rights and protections it afforded them under angaran law, unless they were married _before_ the birth took place. (“Even if the mother is in labor,” Sahuna told her humorously, “as long as the baby is still inside.”)

Her life had changed drastically since finding out she was pregnant. Jaal had been right about his family, but she had been right about the Initiative. Tann and Addison were not pleased, and Sara doubted that they would leave well enough alone in this case. They had to populate, Addison had told her, or risk extinct _despite_ the “best efforts of the Pathfinder.” She should be having human babies, as much as any other race should be having their own. When Sara brought up asari, Addison didn’t have an answer for that.

Jaal caught her hand gently, bringing her out of her thoughts. “Another headache?” he asked.

“Yep,” Sara replied, trying to look chipper. But a headache and nerves on top of feeling swollen and fat were not easily waved away.

Tenderly, he rubbed her neck, working away the tension. “The ceremony will be short,” he reminded her.

“But the party will probably go on all night, I know,” she sighed.

“At least we can sneak away if we have to.”

“I don’t want to offend everyone. We got enough complaints when we said just household family, no extended family, plus the Tempest crew.”

“Beloved, they _expect_ us to sneak away. So we can enjoy the start of married life,” he explained patiently, although there was a warm mirth in his voice.

Sara admittedly had to blush at that. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and planted a kiss at the top of her head.

“You look radiant today,” he remarked.

“You tell me that every day,” Sara said, shaking her head.

“You look radiant every day,” he agreed. “So I don’t see why I shouldn’t say it.” His hand drifted down to her already swollen belly. She hadn’t felt any movement yet, but Lexi said she wouldn’t for another few weeks. Even with twins.

Jaal kissed her neck tenderly. “Lexi _did_ give me a little advice on how to help with your headaches,” he said idly, his hand starting to move further down. Sara was about to protest, stopping his hand with hers, when Jaal’s mother -- his true mother, Sahuna -- came by.

“The priestess is here, and the family is ready for you,” she said, the widest grin on her face. “I can’t believe it; my favorite child is getting married!” She turned to Sara and pulled the human into an embrace.

“Mother,” Jaal started with a sigh, “every child is your favorite.”

She reached up to touch her son’s cheek. “Today, it’s just you. And Sara, of course!”

The ceremony was short enough. Vows were made -- traditional angaran ones, and a few human ones the family insisted be said as well -- and a blessing was given. Sara’s favorite part of the blessing was the implication that two souls were destined to meet across lifetimes if their love was strong enough. She and Scott had been raised in a secular house, like Suvi, with scientists for parents, but there was a beauty and an openness Sara felt at the words nonetheless.

A darkly humorous realization was that she was more or less the only one in the room that was unarmed and unarmored, other than the Tempest’s noncombatants and the various angaran children. It was at both Jaal’s and Cora’s insistence, and the family agreed. Havarl was safer now, but it wasn’t Aya still.

The ceremony itself was concluded not with a kiss, as with many human cultures, but with a ceremonial cup of very bitter tea shared between them.

But Jaal _did_ pull her into a kiss afterwards. “Liam said I should,” he murmured to her. “Human custom, he said, and popular in all the vids.”

Sara couldn’t help but giggle and blush, a very happy smile plastered on her face.

A loud cheer had gone up around them, and the party started.

“So my big sister is married now,” later came her twin’s voice at her side. Sara turned to Scott, facing her own smile radiating back at her. At Dad’s smile. He looked so much like him, it made Sara’s heart ache for a moment.

“Yeah. I’m a little surprised everything’s happened so quickly. I still won’t even have them for a long time.”

Scott pulled her into a hug. “I think the angarans are starting to rub off on me, too,” he chuckled, and Sara could hear the slight crack of emotion in his voice. “I hope you’re happy, sis. I know he’ll take good care of you. I’d hate to see Sahuna’s wrath of he doesn’t.”

“What, Sahuna’s? Not Drack’s, or Vetra’s, or Cora’s, or hell, _Suvi’s_?” Sara taunted with a laugh.

“Nope. Always fear the mother,” he grinned back.

The party was fairly informal, with plenty of food -- and Vetra made sure there was a variety of Milky Way as well as Andromedan, with dextro for her -- and drinks, and made cosy with cushions and low chairs for seats.

At fourteen weeks with twins, Sara’s belly was already the size of a small watermelon. Getting up and down from the low seating was going to be difficult. But, oh, she wanted off her feet so badly. Just as she was eyeing them and figuring that she could pester Jaal to help her up when she needed to pee there was a small commotion at the entrance to the home.

Sahuna was at her side in an instant.

“My daughter,” she said proudly, a warm smile at her lips. “Pathfinder Ryder, the Moshae has come and honored us with a visit. Or specifically, you and your husband.”

“Oh,” Sara blinked. That was… unexpected. Sahuna ushered her into a small side room of the house, where Jaal and the Moshae were already waiting and seemed to be in a serious conversation.

“Hello again, Moshae Sjefa,” Sara announced before coming too close. She didn’t want to intrude on what looked like a private conversation. The Moshae quickly fell silent, turning her large eyes on Sara.

“Pathfinder Ryder. Or is it Pathfinder Ama Darav now?” she greeted back, head slightly canted, a mischievous sparkle in her eye.

“Ryder,” Sara clarified. “At least, right now. But I’ll answer to both.”

“You’ll have to be both, now,” she pointed out. “And yes, Jaal, _both_ ; so before you grumble about her keeping her last name, consider the tangled web you both find yourselves in. Do they not have reproductive blockers in your home galaxy?”

Sara grit her teeth. She liked the Moshae, usually, but the woman could be prickly when she had a strong opinion.

“Of course. They wore off before I could renew them, and I didn’t think I’d actually conceive anything.”

“No, I suppose not. There haven’t been many studies. Unfortunately, it fell to you to find out from experience rather than a scientific study. Regardless, I am here to tell you that rumors are swirling, and many of our people aren’t happy with this.”

“I know,” Sara said soberly. “I didn’t think it would be an easy issue.”

“It was prudent for you to marry so quickly,” the Moshae continued. “Because if the governors and arbiters and Efvra stopped arguing about what they’ll do about it and actually did something, you might not have been able to. You are not a citizen under our law, Pathfinder, but by marrying before they forbid it, they will likely have no choice to recognize the marriage and your children.

“But it brings up an important subject. You have joined an angaran family. Aside from being a mother, you will have obligations to fulfil to them and to the angaran people.”

“I’ve worked my ass off to foster peace between our people,” Sara said, trying to keep her temper in check. “If I haven’t proven myself by now -- “

“This isn’t about you proving you can be a friend to our people,” the Moshae cut her off, “or even fostering good relations. This is about becoming a part of _us_ , and being _our_ Pathfinder as well. This is about _conflict of interest_.”

Sara shut her mouth at that. “I see what you mean,” she answered after a moment.

“Moreover,” the Moshae began again, a little more gently, and stood to reach out for Sara’s belly. “This is about them as much as you. They will be probably the most unique beings in the galaxy. Maybe for a short time, maybe forever. They will wonder why. They will search for their place. You must make that place for them, between cultures, in a galaxy that _will_ shun them. Can you do it? Can you be both _Ryder_ and _Ama Darav_?”

“Pathfinder,” Sara murmured.

“Yes.” It was a simple confirmation of the direction of her thoughts.

This ran deeper than maybe she initially realized. Or maybe she did realize it, only for the light at the end of the tunnel to appear before her.

What was it that Drack had told her? _Parents were the starting line._

She had six months to get them a good starting line. Six months to get the angaran government and the Initiative to accept that this happened. Dread was an icy ball in the pit of her stomach.

“I came to give you advice, and now I have,” the Moshae said, giving Sara’s belly a final rub. “Regardless, Pathfinder… you have my support in this. May your children be born healthy.”

Sara was left chewing her lip in anxiousness.

The only hint of Jaal’s approach was the rumbling she could hear in his chest just before he wrapped his arms around her. “She didn’t have to upset my wife on our wedding night,” he muttered.

“But it needed to be heard,” she told him. “She wasn’t wrong to come. Anyways… hey, let’s get back to the party a little longer.”  
“Just for a bit,” he allowed. “I still have to help you get rid of that headache.”


	3. Part III

“She will be in good hands, brother,” Jaal’s sister Teviint snapped at him, her hand on his shoulder and practically shoving him out the door. Sara could see it did nothing for his anxiousness.

“Teviint -- “

“Jaal,” she responded back, exasperation laced through her voice. “You know as well as I do that Evfra will be very angry if you don’t make it in time. Go, brother. She is family now, and I won’t allow her to come to harm.”

Jaal looked Teviint squarely in the face. Unspoken words hung heavy in the air, and Jaal opened his mouth to say something.

“I trust her,” Sara said, injecting herself between Jaal and Teviint. And added very quietly: “She won’t make the same mistake twice.”

Jaal looked between his new wife and his sister, whose face was still set.

“Alright,” he relented, and bent his head down to place a warm kiss on Sara’s lips. Both of his hands found hers for a tender squeeze and he murmured softly in her ear. “There’s a pistol under the bed if you need it.”

“Go,” she sighed good-naturedly. It was surprisingly quiet (as far as dangers went) at the Ama Darav home; Sara doubted she would need it. And she did trust Teviint’s word.

The two of them still did not get along very well. Teviint usually avoided eye contact or stared at her, depending. Sara found it best to ignore it. When her pregnancy was announced to the family and the marriage was decided on, Teviint did voice her concerns. Often. And loudly.

But if it was one thing that Sara learned about angara was that family was everything. And Teviint, having had shot her own brother, had a lot to prove to the family. What better way than to protect the newest -- and pregnant -- addition? Especially when that one was disliked and _alien_?

Jaal gave her one last parting kiss before going to check his gear. Teviint stalked off back to the house, and Sara was left alone, watching the others climb into the shuttle.

“You okay?” Scott said, coming up beside her. He was in armor, ready to head out in her place. Her stomach twisted and she looked down.

“Yeah,” she answered dejectedly.

“Cheer up,” he said. “At least you can stay here and relax. We have to go and get dirty.”

“I _loved_ getting dirty,” Sara mock-whined.

“Hey, you had your adventures. You kicked the Archon’s ass. It’s my turn now,” Scott said, putting an arm around his twin’s shoulders.

“Yeah, the Archon and Roekaar are totally equivalent,” she teased back. “ _I_ did all the hard work.”

“Ohohoh, _excuse me_ , big sis, _whose_ mind was being violated at Meridian again?”

“Uh, who has died like three times already? And also has to pee about a hundred times a day? And has heartburn that would put Elaadin to shame? And --”

“Alright, you two, this isn’t a pissing contest,” Vetra called over to them. “Spirits, I feel bad for your mother.”

“Remember what Mom used to say when we would give her trouble?” Scott said fondly, his voice low. “‘One day, you two will pay for your raising.’ Think your twins will give you as much trouble?”

“I’m just trying to get through this pregnancy without a nervous breakdown, I haven’t even thought about that. If they’re as bad as we were, I am so glad they’ll have such a big family and many mothers.”

“Yeah,” Scott said, shaking his head. “I still don’t quite get angaran families. Many mothers -- but they’re generally monogamous?”

“I think they embody the phrase, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ As far as I can tell, some of it has to do with how the translators were originally calibrated. They have several different words for brother and/or sister, depending on birth order or which mother they come from. Whoever did the translations just lumped it all under ‘brother’ or ‘sister,’ but Jaal has been teaching me the subtleties. Also, there are thousands and thousands of dialects -- ”

“You are such a fucking _nerd_ ,” Scott deadpanned.

“Shut the fuck up,” Sara sighed. “And get everyone home safe.”

* * *

Sara’s melancholy came back by the time she set foot in the house. Watching the shuttle take off without her was more difficult every time. Even more difficult was the thought of going with them again and leaving the twins behind.

One day, she would do that. She wondered how Sahuna or her father did it, time after time.

“Hey, Sara,” a voice broke her thoughts, and she was startled to see Teviint waving her over.

“Hey,” she said uncertainly, taking a seat next to the angara woman.

“Listen,” Teviint started, eyeing her with distaste. “I don’t like you, and you don’t like me -- “

“I like you just fine,” Sara interrupted. Teviint seemed genuinely taken aback by that. “I don’t expect you to like me, though. That’s okay. You may never like me, and that’s okay too. But… but I’d like us to at least be able to respect each other enough to work together. For the babies, at least. And Jaal.”

Teviint seemed to let go of some of the tension her body had been holding. “Yeah. I think I can do that. And… thank you. For trusting me.”

“You deserved the chance,” Sara said simply. She hoped it was the first step in gaining Teviint’s trust in return.

“Okay. Well, just… don’t wander off. I don’t want to drag you out of some predator’s teeth.”

Sara laughed at that. “I’d prefer not to have the bite marks anyways, so deal. Although it might be worth it to see how Sahuna would react -- “  
The sound Teviint made in her throat was somewhere between an alarmed squeak and a warning growl. It made Sara laugh even harder.

* * *

“Watch that left flank!” Scott ordered into the comm, and Jaal dashed out from cover. The Roekaar’s gun tracked him, but uselessly fired only after he hit cover again. Akksul’s recruits were noticeably less well trained than before, and it only took Jaal a glance out to identify the best method of attack before executing it. The Roekaar was no more after that.

The battle raged on around him. It was a large one, and the din was almost deafening, but he could still hear Drack’s gleeful laughs over it.

It made him wince.

However wrong the Roekaar were, however misguided their views, and however much Jaal would defend himself and his Tempest crew with his dying breath, he still _hated_ to fight his fellow angara.

He didn’t blame the old krogan for taking pleasure in battle. It was just his way, he had long ago learned. He just wished it wasn’t against people he once called comrades.

But this mission was too important to be distracted. Regardless of it all, the only thing mattered was getting to the command center, and hoped that Evfra’s intel was solid.

Ducking around a corner, he cloaked himself, reaching for his knife. With four great strides, and sliding over a fallen pillar, it was buried in the chink of the armor of his next target, and a second, before a third could even defend herself.

“Keep pushing!” Cora’s voice came over the comm, followed by a huge biotic explosion, above and to the right of Jaal. It distracted his opponent long enough for him to get a few good shots in, and she was gone as well.

He ducked down again, pausing to take a breath and check his ammo. Still good. He caught his second wind, and leapt up over the cover into battle once more.

It was thirty more minutes before the Roekaar force broke and scattered. The command center was left undefended, and the team regrouped at the door, where Scott and SAM were hacking the door together.

“Hope this is the end of it,” Scott panted to Jaal. “She didn’t suspect anything, did she? Before we left in the shuttle?”

“No,” Jaal replied. “Unless you noticed something?”

“No. She was just… sad she couldn’t go with us.”

“In time, it will be the reverse.”

“Yeah. Okay, I think we’re through,” Scott said.

Cora nodded. “Okay. Drack, Vetra, you stand guard out here. Peebee, Liam, can you get up on the roof and give them some cover?”

She got affirmatives, and the team spread out. Scott, Jaal and Cora, however, readied their weapons and opened the door.

The command center was dark; the only lights came from the backup power to the consoles.

“Scans indicate no life signs in the room. It is abandoned,” SAM intoned. This puzzled Jaal. Abandoned, systems only on backup power… and he got a bad feeling in his chest.

A light flickered at a terminal nearby.

“I think… we’re getting a _phone call_ ,” Scott murmured. “What in the hell…”

“Do we… do we answer?” Cora asked incredulously.

“Perhaps we should answer… then be ready to run,” Jaal growled. The others agreed, and he punched the button.

Akksul’s face appeared on the screen.

“Jaal. I must thank you,” the other man started unceremoniously. “Those monstrosities you’ve sired have opened the floodgates for me. Where once the Roekaar were nearly fractured, now our resolve and our numbers are stronger than ever. Our people are starting to wake up to the fact that these _vesagara_ are a danger to our way of life. First they move into our cluster, lay claim to worlds that should be ours by rights, and now… now they aim to dominate us by corrupting the very purity of us.”

“Akksul,” Jaal’s voice was very dangerous, blood running cold in his body. “I warn you -- “

“No, old friend. I warn _you_. Mark my words very carefully: those things are abominations, ones I intend to rectify.”

“Why are you telling us your evil plan? We’ll just stop you,” Scott interrupted.

“A matter of honor, human. If you even understand the concept,” Akksul sneered.

“You have no honor left,” Jaal spat out. “This is only pretense. If you harm my wife or children, I swear on my bloodlines you will not know rest for the few days you will have left.”

“A chance I am willing to take for the good of our people,” he said gravely. The connection cut.

Scott swore loudly.

“This is much worse than Evfra’s intel,” Cora said. “What do we do?”

“We must get back home,” Jaal said, turning and hurrying out of the room.

* * *

His heart thudded against his chest during the shuttle ride home. Only when it touched down, just as dawn was breaking, and he dashed into his familial home to his room was he assured of his wife’s health. Sara was curled up in a nest of blankets, hair messily framing her face. He could see the steady rise and fall of her chest, indicating her deep sleep. She was fine.

He was able to breathe again. A quick kiss to her temple and a stroke to her belly and he silently closed the door behind him, leaving her in peace. She got too little of it, and there would be less now.

The team gathered in the comm room of the house -- the same room where Moshae Sjefa had offered Sara her wisdom on their wedding day.

“We need to talk about this,” Scott said quietly. Most of the household was still sleeping.

“Can we get her to a place out of the reach of the Roekaar? The Nexus?” Vetra suggested.

“And straight into Tann and Addison’s crosshairs? I thought the whole reason she was staying here was to avoid them,” Cora frowned.

“Better to deal with asshole politicians than a murderous angara,” Liam countered.

“We could keep her on the Tempest,” Scott said. “We’re always on the move anyways, and there’s no place safer. Lexi can care for her, and she can still feel involved in a Pathfinder’s role.”

Jaal stayed silent. The point of Sara living here, in his home, was of cultural significance to the angara. It made a political statement, and strengthened their claims of her status as his wife and mother of his children. And he very much wanted his children to be born in the same home he was, surrounded by his family.

But the Tempest crew was their family, too. And Scott did have a point.

He growled softly in thought.

“There is no easy answer. While Akksul’s warning was serious, he was also baiting us into doing something rash. Removing her from the family home would give his claims more weight. But not moving her would give him an opening,” Jaal explained.

“Would your people really tolerate the Roekaar attacking an angaran home? An entire family?” Vetra asked.

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. This situation is unprecedented and the politicians are scrambling. I would like to think Akksul is not fool enough to make his move unless things were more in his favor, but I believe _he_ believes what he’s saying.”

“We have no choice,” Cora said. “Sara and the twins’ safety should come first, and to hell with politics. We can’t risk keeping her here. I’m sorry, Jaal.”

Jaal turned to Cora, fixing his gaze on her. “I hope you aren’t suggesting that I would not do what was best for my wife and children?”

She faltered a moment. “No, I mean -- ”

“It doesn’t matter,” he cut her off. “Scott is right, the Tempest is the safest place, and that is where she should be.”

“Do you think…” Peebee started, and looked around. “I mean, she’s under enough stress. Maybe we shouldn’t even tell her about this? If she’s going to stay aboard most of the time, and have us around to protect her, does she even need to know until we’ve taken care of it? Because we _are_ going to take care of it, aren’t we?”

“Peebee’s got a point,” Drack spoke up. “Sara’s tough, but I think she’s starting to crack. I don’t think the threat of assassination’s gunna help her any.”

“She’ll be pissed when she does find out,” Vetra said.

“And if she knows, she might be prepared in case something happens and we aren’t there,” Cora argued. “It might give her a fighting chance.”

“We just won’t leave her alone, then!” Peebee said brightly, as if it was so easy a solution.

“Jaal? It’s your call. It’s your wife and kids,” Scott said. Jaal had learned to read human emotions fairly well during his time among them, at least enough to see the pain on Scott's face. Giving the decision to his brother-in-law was less easy for him than he was making it sound. 

He hesitated. “No need to tell her for now,” he reluctantly decided. He hated hiding things from Sara, but he also didn’t want her to bear this burden. Not now, not when she had so much on her mind. She needed peace, and he would move the stars themselves to give it to her.

“Okay. So it’s agreed,” Scott finalized. The tension had not left his face. “We’ll try to convince her to come back to the Tempest, and no one’s going to tell her about this assassination thing. Not until Jaal gives the go-ahead. Meanwhile, we need to find a way to stop Akksul. Think the Resistance could help us out with that?”

“Evfra was never willing to antagonize the Roekaar,” Jaal said. “But if we can get the government to see things more in our favor and accept Sara as a part of the family, perhaps Evfra would be willing to extend some protection to Sara, even if marginally. I don’t know, though.”

“We have to try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay! We're getting to some of the good parts now. Let me know what you think.
> 
> Technically, this chapter has been posted up at my Tumblr for a while, but now we are all caught up in both places. And now the new stuff can start coming in. I hope to have at least a couple more chapters out soon.
> 
> Question for you though: would you rather I release on a schedule, regardless of when I get the writing done (say I write three more parts today, but delay releasing the others to once or twice a week) or would you rather me release when I'm done, regardless of schedule (you may have long spells without updates, but may get a couple chapters all at once)? Let me know in the comments!


	4. Part VI

“What do you mean that intel wasn’t sent by you?” Jaal growlled at the vidcom. Evfra’s holo-image crossed its arms, scowling.

“It. Wasn’t. Sent. By. Me,” he said again, emphasising every word. “In fact, I believe I distinctly told you that I would not involve the Resistance against Akksul.”

“If it wasn’t you, then who did?” Scott cut in.

“It came from the Resistance’s Headquaters,” Jaal said. “Code Kya-Teem-Uni. Only high ranking Resistance officers would be able to use that.”

“Damn it,” Evfra muttered.

“Sounds like you might have a mole,” Scott said. “But what I still don’t understand is why. Why would Akksul warn us? Why not lure us there, and go after Sara while we were busy? Or just try to get us out of the way right then?”

“He claimed it was for honor,” Jaal snorted. “But I believe it’s more for his Roekaar’s benefit than ours. I doubt they could all stomach such a thing without a warning issued first.”

“And I don’t appreciate you accusing my men and women of being moles for the Roekaar,” Evfra growled.

“What other explanation is there?” Scott asked, irritated. “If the code is only for high level Resistance -- ”

“Be at peace,” another voice broke in, and a new figure appeared in holo, next to Evfra’s image.

“Moshae Sjefa -- ”

“I sent the message,” she said matter-of-factly. “Though I didn’t think Akksul would even consider such a thing.” Jaal could hear the strain in her voice, a break in the undertones. The sorrow. He let out a deep breath. All of this and she still loved Akksul so much. She still harboured such a blind spot for the man. It was… disappointing. And heartbreaking, in a way.

“ _Really_ ? You didn’t think the man with the _anti-alien agenda_ would consider hybrid children to be anathema?” Scott started, voice getting heated.

Three pairs of hard angara eyes locked on him, and the human abandoned the train of thought.

“I thought Akksul just wanted to exchange words with Jaal,” the Moshae sighed. “I was wrong.”

“He did,” Scott sighed, letting go of his anger. “But now I think he’s going to back up those words with action.”

“And what will you do?” the Moshae asked. It was not in her usual sharp, unfettered tone. It was soft, almost defeated.

“We plan to bring Sara back onto the Tempest,” Jaal explained. “Then Akksul can’t find her so easily.”

“Well, good enough for now,” Evfra grunted. “But that’s not a long term solution.”

“We thought -- ”

“The answer is no. The Resistance will not get involved in this. Take her back to her own people, Jaal.”

“She is my wife,” he said slowly. “She is family.”

“No. The Council certainly has not decided such a thing. The Assemblage hasn’t even _begun_ to discuss it. She has no rights under our laws.”

“She could become it,” the Moshae spoke up, a hint of her old fire back in her voice. “The Council and the Assemblage will most certainly have to address it, especially if the Ama Darav family puts pressure on the Provincial Governor. Aren’t they related by marriage to your sister’s husband’s family?”

“To my cousin Tael’s husband, they are,” Jaal confirmed. “I will speak with my mothers about it. Certainly the family has taken Sara in as one of us.”

“Use that,” the Moshae said, her voice getting stronger. “Sara _must_ gain citizenship if you are to protect her from Akksul.”

He nodded at his former mentor, but a wave of sadness washed over him. He wasn’t entirely sure she was giving him advice for his and Sara’s sake, or Akksul’s. And the thought was crushing.

Scott ended the vidcall with the press of a button. “That went well.”

Jaal just glanced at him, and the human visibly flinched. He realized after a moment that he had misread Jaal’s guarded expression for anger, and the angara turn to face him more openly.

“I’m not angry,” he explained. “Just… weary.”

Scott ran a hand through his short hair -- the same color as his sister’s. They looked remarkably alike, although he still had trouble telling some humans apart. But they were twins, there was no mistaking that. Even from the way their eyes flicked as they were thinking about what to say, or how they rocked on the balls of their feet when they were excited about something.

“Look… Jaal. I know we don’t know each other very well. But we both love Sara, and I think we both will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. And the twins, too. I’d like us to be friends. And to trust each other.” He offered Jaal his hand.

It was all Jaal could to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Scott asked, sounding a little hurt.

“You sister did the same thing when we first met,” he explained, grinning at him. And he took Scott’s wrist the same way he did Sara’s so long ago, correctly positioning it before laying his arm against it.

“We’re family now, Scott,” Jaal said. “And angara take that seriously.”

* * *

 “I think it’s a good idea,” Lexi said as Sara lay down on the medbay bed.

“Of course you do -- so you can monitor me all the time.”

“Yes,” the asari said, “but I also think it’s good for you, Sara.” She pulled Sara’s shirt up, revealing her rounding belly in all its glory. “The Tempest is your home.”

“I just… wanted Havarl to be, too.”

“It can be, one day,” Lexi soothed, putting her hands on Sara’s belly and beginning to feel. She measured from public bone to the top of her belly -- the fundal height, she told Sara -- and said she was measuring well.

“Besides, we’re hoping it will give the marriage legitimacy,” she said. “There are… political benefits, too.”

“Wouldn’t actually living with your husband do the same?” Lexi deadpanned.

“Well… I don’t know. Maybe.”

“And you are Pathfinder. They can’t exactly expect you to give that up, legitimate or not. Pregnant or not.”

“Weren’t all of you telling me that I shouldn’t be doing a Pathfinder’s work anymore?”

“Well, certainly not the getting shot at part,” Lexi said, sighing and starting a full body scan. “Your levels look good. Iron’s a bit off… SAM, please bring up the comparison stats for angara. Looks like it’s within range for both species, although I think you need to add more iron-rich foods to your diet.”

Sara groaned. “I’m already eating enough, doc.”

“Just add some more spinach to your morning breakfast shakes,” she teased. “Has the nausea passed?”

“Mostly, but -- ” the rest of her sentence died on her lips. There was something… something different. A fluttered feeling, in her stomach, but lower. Like a butterfly caught in a net. “ _Oh_.”

“What?” Lexi asked sharply, turning her attention back to Sara.

“I-I think… I think I felt them.” Her voice was a choked whisper, eyes wide. She felt like vomiting.

“Let’s see what they’re up to,” Lexi said, bringing up a scan of Sara’s womb. Two tiny figures appeared in 3-D in a holo. It shocked Sara to see them.

They weren’t human. They looked far more angara than that. But they didn’t look like angara either. Sara covered her open mouth in shock.

“It’s alright, Sara,” Lexi soothed. “They actually look a lot like the scans of angara fetuses I’ve seen.” The doctor looked amused at her, and Sara flushed with heat. Tears stung in her eyes. How could she laugh at her like this? So much worry came crashing out at once, releasing as angry tears.

Lexi was taken aback. “Oh, Sara, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” She went immediately to Sara’s side and wrapped her arms around the woman’s shoulders. “I apologize. I should have been more sensitive about your worries. But just from glancing at the scan, they look fairly normal, Sara. I still need to do an in depth anatomical scan, but I think they have a chance.”

That only made Sara cry harder, and curse the pregnancy hormones. Exasperated. Lexi asked SAM to call Jaal to the medbay to calm Sara down, only to get a reply that he was in a vidcom call and couldn’t come at the moment.

She called Suvi instead, who brought three mugs of steaming tea and a blanket for Sara, which the women wrapped her in.

“I’m sure Jaal will come when he can,” Suvi said in her soothing brogue. “Meanwhile, do you mind if I be in here Sara? I don’t want to impose, but -- ”

“It’s fine,” Sara replied, sighing as she finished her tea. “It’s the least I can do for you sharing your tea with us.”

“I never studied much biology,” Suvi said, sitting next to Sara and holding her hand. “But, oh, what miracles these wee things are.”

Lexi started up the scan again, and Sara’s heart lurched. She gave Suvi’s hand a squeeze, and the other gave her one in return.

The legs were digitigrade, curled up against their bellies. Tiny fists were curled up in little balls at the end of thin, tiny arms. Sara could see that their hoods were starting to develop, though they would only really develop after birth, she was told.

“Identical twins,” Lexi said. 

“Like Scott and I,” Sara said, blinking back tears. One of the twins stretched out their legs, and Sara could actually feel it as she watched it happen. It was amazing.

Lexi began to measure on the scan, taking images and making notes on each.

“Everything okay?” Sara asked nervously.

“I’m not seeing any major defects, but I am still somewhat unfamiliar with angaran fetal development. I am working with several colleague within the Initiative as well as the Angaran government on your pregnancy. When we’ve discussed the scans, we’ll know more.” She looked at Sara, and sighed. “I don’t want to give you false hope, Sara. There could be something I’m not seeing.”

“But right now, there is still hope?”

“Yes,” Lexi said, smiling softly. “There is still hope.”

The medbay door slid open, and Jaal stalked through. “I am sorry I didn’t come...” his voice trailed off when he saw the holo image of the twins in Sara’s womb. Transfixed, he stepped closer, mouth slightly ajar.

“Those are…?”

“I’m sorry we started without you, Jaal,” Lexi said. “But I really needed to get this scans off to Aya and the Nexus to get them back at any reasonable time.”

He broke off to fix Lexi with his stare. “Those are my children,” he said plainly.

“Here, Jaal,” Suvi pipped up, wanting to break the sudden tension. “Come take my place.” She scrambled out of the way, dropping Sara’s hand. “Sara just needed a little moral support while you were busy.”

Wordlessly, Jaal went to his wife’s side, taking her hand and smoothing back her hair.

“Do you want to know the genders?” Lexi added, trying to lighten the mood.

“No -- ”

“Yes -- ”

“Ah,” Sara said, flushing. “You don’t want to know?”

“You do?” Jaal returned.

“I -- yes, I do. You know, so we can pick out names and get clothes ready.”

Jaal sighed. He sounded so… tired. “If it makes you happy, dearest. I only care if they are healthy.”

Lexi looked to Sara.

“I’ll… hold off on it, doc. Just for now. Maybe when you get the results back we can find out to celebrate.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me,” the asari said. She resumed her notations, and Sara watch Jaal’s face as he studied the holo.

“Do they look… normal?” she asked timidly.

“I… haven’t seen many fetal scans. They are considered very private, Sara.”

“Oh. Humans love to share theirs. I always thought they looked like al-- uh, like little demons or something.”

Jaal gave her a bemused look. “Don’t go showing them around Aya. Although Sahuna will probably ask to see them, in a roundabout fashion.”

“Do angara share the scans with their family?”

“It depends on their bond. Do you share your very personal, intimate details with your brother?”

“Not… all of them,” Sara said, making a face.

“And there is your answer.” He still chuckled at her. She sighed, starting to relax despite herself. Somehow, he always made her feel safe. When they had first met, he could be prickly and sarcastic, but even when his words were the same, his tone of voice was never mocking. She felt she could be the most honest person she was with him.

Lexi was very thorough with her scan, but Sara didn’t complain. She didn’t want a single thing missed, either. When she was finally allowed up off the bed, she had to pause a moment. Tenderly, she took Jaal’s massive hand in hers and pressed it firmly to her belly, just in time to catch the end of a large flutter of movement: the twins protesting at Mama changing position so quickly.

The grin that spread across Jaal’s face was indescribable. He pulled her into his arms, cradling her tenderly. Only Sara’s protests of needing the bathroom in a hurry made him let go.

**Author's Note:**

> I know hybrids probably aren't possible, though there are teases in the game. But I wanted to tell the story of what could happen if it was. What would this mean for Ryder and Jaal? For the Initiative and the Angara?
> 
> Bare with me as I am a little slow at updating. Also, I generally don't post a ton of fanfic anyways, so any reviews or comments are welcomed to let me know how I'm doing.


End file.
